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View SlideshowRequest to buy this photoIrongate Equestrian CenterA side view of Irongate Equestrian Center’s main barn and arena, which can accommodate 3,200 people and is one of central Ohio’s largest banquet facilities.

In one fell swoop, Mark Schuster will open a grand equestrian training center and one of central
Ohio’s largest banquet facilities.

Schuster purchased the 105-acre Irongate Equestrian Center in February from Rachel
Longaberger-Stukey for $1.6 million and decided that, to support the horse operation, he would tap
the massive arenas and expansive land for events such as weddings and conferences.

“It is huge,” Schuster said.

Built in 1999 for the daughter of former Buckeye Egg Farm owner Anton Pohlmann, the center can
board 65 horses and boasts more than 26,000 square feet between its two enclosed arenas. There is
stadium seating for 400 in the main barn, plus a bar, apartments and three balconies.

Irongate can accommodate 3,200 people indoors and 5,000 more on its rolling fields. The indoor
arena surfaces can be covered for more formal events.

Pohlmann’s daughter, a world-class rider from Germany, never used the facility, and
Longaberger-Stukey didn’t have much use for it, either, Schuster said. He spent $400,000 renovating
and restoring the property.

“It is a magnificent piece of real estate,” Schuster said. “Now we have to turn it into a
functional business.”

Schuster owns Breathing Air Systems in Reynoldsburg and a local real-estate development
company.

He has joined a number of central Ohio caterers and event planners in the hope of making
Irongate a unique destination. Made-From-Scratch is one of the preferred caterers and is working
with Schuster on marketing plans.

“We’re so excited to be working with the wonderful team at Irongate,” said Krysten Phillips,
Made-From-Scratch marketing director, “and are thrilled to be a part of their introduction to
central Ohio.”

The grand opening will be Aug. 1, though horse operations are up and running — for good
reason.

“I wasn’t a horse owner, but I am now,” Schuster said of a recent trip to Lexington, Ky. “I
bought my daughter her first horse.”

Schuster hopes to have events scheduled by mid August, with his eye on a few large gatherings in
early September.